You can deep fry just about anything and it will taste good. Ask just about anyone who lives in the south. Twinkies, cheesecake, pickles, or whole turkeys. Maybe even an old tennis shoe. Nothing is exempt!
This woman has grown a Southern comfort food empire by cooking deep fried cheesecake and other things I am unlikely to eat. She did not go public with her Type II Diabetes until three years after she learned of it. Now someone from some group for science in the public interest says she should have come forward earlier.
Her empire can’t be doing that well, for I bought a little bottle of her mint jelly at some deep discount store about a week ago. I liked it, but it wasn’t any better than anyone else’s mint jelly. Admittedly, I’ve never watched her on television. I don’t watch cooking shows because I don’t care about food the same way I used to. I remember when all I could think of after one meal was what I would get for the next. And I was never even the primary food preparer at home. My honored husband has always taken that in hand for me. Read more on The Cooking Guru’s Health Problems…
Filed under Celebrities, News, Nutrition, weight by on Jun 27th, 2012. Comment. 
I am not the sort of woman who runs around saying “I told you so,” or trying to impress people with how clever I am.
However, I am clever.
It’s no secret – a lot of people know it. Read more on The Worst Family To Get Involved With…
Filed under Nutrition, weight by on May 4th, 2012. Comment.
To paraphrase some recent political campaigns, the FDA was against Qnexa before they were for it.
I’ve written about this diet drug compound before — HERE And HERE.
Last time I wrote about this “drug,” I thought it was down for the count. Aauugghh!!!!
Like a scene from “Night Of The Living Diet Drugs” – it is back from the grave.
You bet your life! (Literally if you take this) – our protective government watchdogs at the FDA originally said this was too dangerous to unleash on the public. Then – as the politicians say – they did a “Flip Flop.” This No-Vowel remedy QNEXA (ok, it has a couple of vowels, but not enough) is not actually a drug — it is a combination of two drugs.
This is of course, the cheapest way to get a new product on the market and eliminate R&D costs as well as testing for safety and efficacy. The company takes two separate FDA-approved agents and combines – kind of like making Frankenstein out of left-over body parts.
(This is turning into a Halloween column, isn’t it? Sorry.) Read more on They’re Ba-a-a-a-ck!!! Zombie Diet Drugs!!!…
Filed under eating disorders, medicine, News, Nutrition, prescription drugs, weight by on Feb 28th, 2012. Comment.
When I was little, my Grandfather-of-Blessed-Memory (maternal) came to visit us at 6 am every Sunday morning, arising very early to drive about two hours from Springfield to our Boston suburb of Chelsea.
Springfield would be considered “way out west” as compared to civilized and urbanized Boston, so it is like the country mouse coming to the big city.
He said the road was not busy and drive was relaxing and pleasant for him. But his visits were anything but relaxing and pleasant for us, who would much rather have tried to sleep in on Sunday.
The exception was my paternal Grandmother-of-Blessed-Memory – who was also an early riser. Older folks often seem to get up early.
(That’s how I know I’m not old yet – I still love to sleep late). These two senior members of our family seemed to get along well. Grandfather called her “Mother Goldstein,” and even brought her a nice bottle of (coincidentally named) “Mother Goldstein” brand kosher wine. There was one incident that I recall that upset a peaceful Sunday morning when I was about five. I came downstairs in my best baby blue lace dress to hear Grandfather yelling at Grandmother never to serve him that “horrible drink” again. Read more on Chicory, Belgian Endives And Me…
Filed under medicine, News, weight by on Feb 8th, 2012. Comment.
I’m nowhere near what anyone would call a “News Junkie.” My husband, a former newspaper man, often calls my attention to articles of interest and I see headlines occasionally on various web pages, such as Yahoo or Google. But this type of story seems to come up pretty regularly any more.
Yes, most people in our country are in terrible shape. I probably harp about it more than I need to. But remember what Mark Twain (another newspaper man) once said:
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it!” Read more on Who Needs Wonder Drugs? We Have Vitamin C!…
Filed under medicine, News, prescription drugs, weight by on Aug 19th, 2011. Comment.
I think everybody loves to eat. Eating can be pure, sensual delight. And those that don’t like eating – well, they come see somebody like me because that can be a real problem. It can be a problem for those that REALLY love to eat also – like the 700 lb. woman that not only makes her living in eating contests, but wants to be a record holding “Most Obese Woman” in the world.
I’ve seen some patients who could be in the running for this. Sometimes they have medical treatment to blame. Many medicines can add weight even if you eat nothing but air and water – seriously. I have seen people gain weight regularly, usually 15 to 20 pounds a month or so. Steroids, psychotropics and some other drugs can make you gain weight and keep you losing weight. Even treatments for diabetes – like insulin. Read more on Will Your Doctor Help You Lose Weight? Fat Chance!…
Filed under Alternative Medicine, medicine, weight by on Aug 18th, 2011. 1 Comment.
I recently initiated what I call “The Renegade Doctor’s Massive Weight Loss” support group for people who must lose 100 lbs or more for health reasons.
Registration is free and I will be sending regular messages by email about how I achieved my 160-lb weight loss withough diet, exercise, drugs or surgery, as well as recent research, myth-busting facts, nutritional supplement news,and general encouragement and support for those who are undertaking a major weight loss.
Most diet articles, books and programs are for people who want to lose ten or twenty or maybe as much as 50 lbs. However, the majority of obese Americans are well over that. Carrying around 100 lbs or more of extra weight is often called “The American Disease,” and foreigners make jokes about fat Americans and their cheeseburger-culture of overeating and obesity.
It’s terrible to be shamed and made to feel guilty because of your weight. It’s not only cruel strangers, but family members and even doctors who perpetrate such behavior.
Nothing is simple if you do it alone, and massive weight loss is a difficult project. In fact, it’s generally considered hopeless and overweight people are advised to get surgery or take drugs that have harmful side effects.
I’m making my support group available to anyone who is interested, and to make sure that you aren’t getting spammed, I’m making it by subscription only.
Of course, like my subscription newsletter, it is free to sign-up and you can discontinue at any time.
With so much focus on weight and body image in our culture, it is no wonder that people who are heavy get depressed and develop all kinds of physical and emotional symptoms.
Here is the web page where you can read what the support group is all about and sign up for the mailing list.
There will also be free phone conferences, brochures and other support material to help you.
I know how difficult it is — I know how painful living as an obese person can be. And I know the solution.
Take care and be happy — and healthy.
Estelle Toby Goldstein, MD
The Renegade Doctor
Filed under weight by on Jul 20th, 2011. 1 Comment.
I had a patient once, long ago and far away, who was the worst “Caffeine Fiend” – properly known as “caffeinism” in medical lingo — I had ever heard of.
He was only 27 but depression and obesity added ten or fifteen years to his appearance. He was single and did not have much of a social life, but he did not much care. He was one of the earlier generation of people to build himself a career doing something with computers, with some sort of techie abilities which I could not understand at all. That enabled him to work from home at least part of the time, and only occasionally would he have to make a mad run to and from his employers’ office. This was in rural northern California, somewhat removed from the Silicon Valley mainstream of this type of activity.
The “from” part was important, as he did not much like to hang around with other humans, much preferring the company of his computer. Read more on Tale Of A Caffeine Fiend…
Filed under depression, Diagnosis, eating disorders, Stimulants, weight by on Jun 16th, 2011. Comment.
The death rate is down and the life expectancy is up. “Nothing but good news,” says the statistician.
Perhaps our prevention programs and treatments are working. Statistics are unwieldy things, but these are so general, the news of less death and more life can only be seductive. I want to look at it closer. I want to look at the differentiations among groups, which I doubt have changed. If you ever wondered about women living longer than men, both in the African-American race and the Euro-American races, you should have seen my waiting room the day I encountered a soft spoken and personable but physically-challenged African-American man. He was surrounded by obviously smitten females bearing gifts. Two of the three young ladies offered him homemade baked goods and made a point of telling the third she did not have a chance because she only had a dozen store-bought doughnuts. Read more on Why Do Some People Live Longer Than Others?…
My psychopharmacology preceptor told me a long time ago that the best and most efficient way to know what is happening in pharmacology is to check out the business news. He was right.
I want to applaud the FDA for doing something perhaps a bit audacious, surely without precedent, but something I consider correct and appropriate.
They declined acceptance of Contrave, a pill for obesity, and requested a longer term and larger study.Bravo. It’s rare that I give the FDA a “standing O.” The folks at Orexigen pharmaceuticals concocted Contrave — an amalgam of 400mg. of Wellbutrin sustained release and a couple of different doses of naltrexone, 48 and 16 mg. Here is the clinical trials record if you are interested. Read more on Prescription Diet Drug Makes Food Taste Horrible…
Filed under News, prescription drugs, weight by on Mar 29th, 2011. Comment.